Most of above species spawn in the southern marshes of Iraq; through the Shat al arab and Shat al basrah. Almost all above except 1 and 2 are found in the Mediterranean and the Red sea. Family Haemulidae, GRUNTS (HAMOUR)Haemulon plumieri

Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: from the Arabian Gulf east to Indonesia northward to Hokkaido (Japan). Extralimital captures have been made from the Adriatric and off Hawaii. Not recorded from Australasia.

Diagnosis: Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal softrays (total): 37-43. Body very deep, and compressed. Operculum absent; gill opening reduced to a vertical slit on the side of the body; gill membrane broadly united to isthmus. Dorsal and anal fins preceded by a series of 5 to 10 blade-like spines with anterior and posterior points.

Pelvic fins absent. Caudal fin deeply forked, the lower lobe longer than the upper. Color is gray above grading to silvery white towards the belly, with small black dots all over the body. Fins are faintly yellow; vertical fins with dark edges.

Biology: Inshore species, usually in schools over muddy bottoms, associated with fish species like Nemipterus and Leiognathus. Feeds on ctenophores, salps, medusae, and other zooplankton groups. Western populations spawn from late winter through the summer with peaks from April to June. Sold fresh in local markets or shipped frozen to urban centers. Used in Chinese medicine Max. size: 60.0 cm SL

Distribution: Northern part of the Indian Ocean (from `the Gulf' eastward to Myanmar, including western and eastern coasts of India, also rivers). Reported from the Gulf of Tonkin, Viet Nam (Ref. 9706).

Diagnosis: Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal softrays (total): 18-21; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft-rays: 18-23. Belly with 30 to 33 scutes. Distinct median notch in upper jaw. gillrakers fine and numerous, about 100 to 250 on lower part of arch. Fins hyaline. A darkblotch behind gill opening, followed by a series of small spots along flank in juveniles. Color in life, silver shot with gold and purple.

Biology: Schooling in coastal waters and ascending rivers for as much as 1200 km (usually 50-100 km). Migration though is sometimes restricted by barrages. Hilsa far up the Ganges and other large rivers seem to be permanent river populations. Feeds on plankton, mainly by filtering, but apparently also by grubbing on muddy bottoms. Breeds mainly in rivers during the southwest monsoon (also from January to February/March). Artificial propagation has been partially successful in India (Ref. 4832). Known to be a fast swimmer, covering 71 km in one day (Ref. 12203). Marketed fresh or dried-salted. Max. size: 60.0 cm SL; max.weight: 680.0 g; max.weight: 2,490.0 g

Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: east coast of Africa (including Madagascar, Seychelles, Farrquhar and Comoro islands) extending through Southeast Asia north to Taiwan and south to Queensland, Australia.

Diagnosis: Dorsal spines (total): 12-12; Dorsal softrays (total): 13-15; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft-rays: 7-8. Body is slender; the head profile slightly convex; lips not thickened; 2 pores and a central groove under the chin. No antrorse spine before the dorsal fin origin; a deep notch between the spinous and the soft-rayed portion of the dorsal fin. Color is generally silvery with a golden tint on the sides; the upper operculum olive-yellow; the snout dusky, overlain with yellow. Young specimens have 7-11 vertical bands on the upper sides; older ones with bands formed by spots aligned in vertical rows.

Biology: Inhabits turbid inshore waters with sandy to muddy bottoms to a depth of 75 m. Enteries estuaries may tolerate water with low salinity. Often associated with inshore wrecks (Ref. 4332). Feeds on crustaceans and fish (Ref. 5213). Spawners form shoals near river mouths during the winter. Good food fish (Ref. 2799). Max. size: 80.0 cm TL

Distribution: Eastern Atlantic: Scotland to Cape Verde; in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.Also in coastal waters from southern Norway to Morocco, rare off Mauritania (Ref. 3573). Records from the lagoon of Accra are probably misidentifications.

Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Persian Gulf and along the coast of India eastward to the Philippines, northward to Japan and southward to Australia. Also recorded from the Gulf of Tadjourah, Djibouti (Ref. 5450).

Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Arabian Gulf and Arabian Sea in the west to Southeast Asia, northward to southern Japan and southward to Australia. This species has been frequently misidentified as L. sanguineus. There are unsubstantiated reports of this species off East Africa. Known from Fiji and Tuvalu (Ref. 12596).

Preorbital bone much broader than eye diameter. Preopercular notch and knob poorly developed.Scale rows on back rising obliquely above lateral line. Juveniles with a broad, oblique band of brown or black, from upper jaw to beginning of dorsal fin; a prominent black band runs across the caudal peduncle with a pearly-white border. Young with horizontal lines on sides.